The present invention relates generally to communications connectivity servicing for in-field products or equipment, and more particularly to, a method and apparatus for communications connectivity failure diagnosis between a centralized online service center and remote subscribing stations having in-field equipment, such as medical diagnostic equipment.
Medical diagnostic equipment and supporting systems, such as medical imaging systems, have become increasing complex in recent years. Examples of such systems include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems, computed tomography (CT) systems, ultrasound and x-ray systems, and positron emission tomography (PET) systems. To add to the complexity of each particular imaging system, many facilities today incorporate a variety of such equipment. In larger facilities, the systems may be networked to permit common management and control. Further, such systems may be networked with a picture archiving and communication system (PACS) for storing digitized image data for subsequent retrieval and reconstruction. Additionally, teleradiology systems involve transmitting digitized image data to remote locations for review and diagnosis by specialized physicians and/or radiologists.
Because medical diagnostic systems are critical elements in the diagnosis and treatment of patients, their use must not be inhibited by a slow response for service or maintenance. Due to the increasing-complexity of these systems, service personnel with appropriate training are oftentimes not on location with the equipment. Therefore, remote servicing of medical diagnostic equipment has become an important tool in maintaining these systems.
Remote servicing of medical diagnostic equipment has traditionally been performed via voice communication between operations personnel and a centralized servicing facility. Operations personnel would call a remote service facility to report malfunctions and ask questions to correct such malfunctions. When such queries could not be sufficiently handled by telephone, a service or field engineer was dispatched to troubleshoot the system and provide the needed assistance. Communications connectivity problems are especially difficult to troubleshoot because contact with the on-line center is now limited to voice communication. Also, if the distance between the medical diagnostic equipment and the centralized on-line service center is great, the service personnel can be sent out to one location when the problem actually exists at the other. Further, a communications connectivity failure can occur without a customer even knowing it has occurred because such equipment is operational without having to connect to the on-line center. However, once on-line servicing is needed, a communications failure can become a critical failure needing immediate attention.
Recently, systems have been developed to automatically and periodically check for proper connectivity. However, it is one thing to notice a communications problem and quite another to diagnose the fault. Once such a notification is made, a different process is needed to efficiently diagnosis and repair the problem in a timely manner. The importance of proper connectivity and the importance of quickly addressing a failure once one is detected, will be readily ascertained from the following description of the current state-of-the-art of such systems.
Improvements in computer networks have greatly facilitated the task of offering assistance to medical imaging equipment. In particular, rather than having to call a service center and talk to a technician or engineer, or to await a return call from the service center, network technologies have facilitated proactive techniques wherein the service center may contact the medical diagnostic equipment to check the status of subscribing equipment. Further advancements have been proposed to provide remote service to medical diagnostic systems in an effort to provide the level of service on a continual and interactive basis as needed by many facilities. In one such system, a service center can interactively receive messages via a network and can respond automatically to the messages if configured correctly. Data required to analyze the state of operation of the medical diagnostic equipment can be transferred during an electronic connection. This technique greatly facilitates identification of system problems, allows questions to be posed to the subscribing service provider, facilitates transfer of updates and imaging protocols, and permits standard and customized reports to be transmitted to subscribing systems or stations. The interactive aspect of this technique allows the medical diagnostic facility to remain current on services provided by the centralized service facility and to readily communicate with the centralized service facility.
While such advancements in the provision of remote services to medical diagnostic equipment has greatly enhanced the level of service and information exchange, they are subject to unanticipated connectivity problems. In order to perform connectivity diagnosis manually on each particular portion of a communications system is slow and labor intensive.
The goal of the present invention is to identify connectivity problems quickly at the on-line center and ensure the connectivity is properly corrected, while logging diagnostic and repair data so that the centralized facility can contact the subscribing station at will, and conversely, so that the subscribing station can freely contact the centralized service facility and each can exchange data accurately.
It would therefore be desirable to have a system and technique for communications connectivity diagnosis capable of receiving a connectivity failure notice at an on-line center indicating a communications failure, allowing a manual initiation of a software-based non-connect test to confirm communications failure, and quickly diagnosing the communications failure by isolating the communications failure and reporting the failure for repair, and once repaired, ensuring proper connectivity with redundant connectivity testing. It would also be advantageous to have a system that could automatically check whether a particular customer is entitled to such value-added service, and if not, then keeping a log of such connectivity failures so that the customer can be alerted as to not only the number and times of the failures, but of the value-added service available for connectivity failure diagnosis. It would also be advantageous to have a system that can automatically check the status of a case so that the customers are provided successful diagnostics within a given period of time, by escalating to a higher level of service if standard service does not resolve the failure.
The present invention provides a system and method to confirm a communications connectivity failure between an on-line center and a subscribing station having in-field product and diagnose the cause of the failure, and once repaired, ensuring proper connectivity that overcomes the aforementioned problems.
The present invention includes a technique that includes both hardware and software by which an on-line center, at a centralized facility, is capable of diagnosing a connectivity failure. The technique includes an initial notification of a problem, a preemptive check to see if the customer is entitled to diagnostics and repair, and diagnostics to resolve the problem. If the customer is not entitled, the system does not perform the diagnostic and repair service. If the customer is so entitled, the system checks the age or status of the complaint, and if the status of the case becomes older than some predetermined time, the service diagnostics are escalated to ensure proper customer satisfaction. Once the problem is isolated and diagnosed, the repairs are made, and the method and system validates that proper connectivity is again achieved. The technique records all failure notices and keeps a record of the diagnostics and the repairs undertaken.
In accordance with the process of the present invention, a method of communications connectivity failure diagnosis is disclosed that includes receiving a connectivity failure notice at an on-line center indicative of a communications failure between the on-line center and an in-field product. The method includes manually initiating a software-based non-connect test to confirm communications failure between the on-line center and the in-field product and diagnosing the communications failure by isolating the communications failure and identifying the type of failure. The communications failure is reported for repair, and once repaired, proper connectivity is confirmed by multiple dial-up tests between the on-line center and the in-field product.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a communications connectivity failure diagnosis system includes a subscribing station having at least one in-field product and at least one computer programmed to control the in-field product. An on-line center is capable of receiving a connectivity failure notice indicative of a communications failure between the on-line center and the subscribing station and creates a database case in response therefrom. The system includes a communications network to relay data from the on-line center to the subscribing station. The communications network includes a communications portion in the on-line center and a communications portion in the subscribing station. The communications network also includes an ability to connect the on-line center to the subscribing station through an external communications network. The system allows a service person at the on-line center to initiate a non-connect test in response to the on-line center receiving a connectivity failure notice. Based on the results of the non-connect test, the on-line center automatically isolates the communications failure to the on-line center, the subscribing station, or the external communications network. In many cases, the external communications network may include a public communications utility, in which case, the invention does not include that external communications network, but only includes the ability to connect to that network and isolate the problem to that network, if that is where the problem lies. In other cases, the external communications network may include a dedicated line between the subscribing station and the on-line center, an intranet, or other closed, proprietary system.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, a computer program stored on a computer-readable storage medium is disclosed which, when executed by one or more computers, will cause the one or more computers to create and queue a reported case for communications connectivity diagnosis and receive input to initiate a non-connect test. The non-connect test is executed to validate a communications failure and report the problem for repair. Once repaired, the non-connect test includes causing communications connectivity and validating whether communications connectivity is successful. If it is not, the communications failure is isolated and the isolated communications failure is again reported for repair. The non-connect test is again executed after receiving input that the repair has been complete to ensure proper communications connectivity. Once communications connectivity is successful, the results are logged to complete the communications connectivity diagnosis.